Heart of Coal
by The Last Moccasin
Summary: Swimming star Paige McCullers stops at nothing to take her place in the sun from 'Princess' Emily Fields. But is life better when she beats her rival or when she joins her?
1. Chapter 1

**Heart of Coal**

Part 1, 2/6/11 (Post Ep. 15)

by _The Last Moccasin_

T / PG-13 || Teen Drama, Angst, A/U, Femslash

_Swimming star Paige McCullers stops at nothing to take her place in the sun from 'Princess' Emily Fields. But is life better when she beats her rival or when she joins her?_

**Pretty Little Liars** is copyright Alloy Entertainment. I am but a lowly, meddling fan.

I'm writing pretty fast and loose on this one. Wanted to play with an antihero for a while. Canon characters and setting. No canon events—I can't maneuver that fast from week to week.

(Added 2/27/2011) The two reasons I started this story were to get Emily and Paige together :) and to give context to The Dunking. Since I'm building up to, including, and dealing with a version of that incident, it'll be a long time until the girls share a first kiss near the story's midpoint. Maybe that's a mistake and no reader will want to wait forever and a day for the good stuff, but peaking under the emotional hood of The Dunking is one of my goals. I don't see any way to include that and also get them together right away. :/ The second half deals with all the family drama while their relationship grows and survives—_lots_ of Paige/Emily in the second half.

* * *

Paige sifted her hands through her dresser drawers. How it might have hidden from her first ten searches she didn't know, but strange things happen when clothes hibernate. Her fingers slid through silk and cotton underwear, lace bras, sports bras... "Mom!" she hollered.

Bishop was still whining to Mom about getting up early in his room next door. Paige slid her stubborn drawer shut and yanked open the next. Cute socks, running socks, tank top. Stuffed bunny? "Mom!" _Where the hell is it?_

The teen turned back and knelt by her duffle bag. Maybe she'd missed it in there the first five times. A familiar bitter taste crept up her throat as she swallowed another instinctive but futile call for her mother. Mom was lost in 'baby Bishop' mode.

Auburn hair fanned past her pale cheeks as Paige hung her head. Still not there. Perfect. At least her hair was shorter this year. With a sigh, she zipped her swim bag shut and hiked the strap onto her shoulder as she stood.

She stepped into the hall and spun quickly into the wall to keep her bag from hitting Mom. "Careful, Paige! Your brother isn't awake enough to dodge you lumbering through the hall yet."

"I'm not awake," growled a voice behind Bishop's door. "I'm sleep walking. And sleep talking."

"How about sleep 'shutting up and getting in the car'?" the redhead barked.

"Don't raise your voice, Paige." Mom frowned.

"Have you seen my swim cap?" Paige stared at the mottled hallway carpet.

"Isn't it in your duffle?"

Paige closed her eyes, forcing herself to stay calm. "No."

"Well, that's where it should be." Mom turned away. "Bishop, hon—"

His door burst open and the scowling teen emerged. With dull brown eyes and a rumpled shirt, he was groggy and sullen all at once. "Why can't _you_ take me at a normal time?"

"I have to make sure the idiots on night shift haven't backed up the paint line again, sweetie, or you know I would."

He sighed, rolling his head dramatically. "Swimmer freak," he muttered as he bumped past Paige and stomped down the stairs.

She ignored him. "Can you get me a new one?"

"A new what?" Mom asked from halfway down the stairs, too busy to look back.

Paige shifted her duffle and moved to stand atop the stairs. "A new brother." That earned a look—a raised-eyebrow glare. The teen bit a smirk between her lips. Occasional sass could slip through the flames. Sass _and_ a smirk was the formula for grounding. "A new swim cap."

"Don't you think you should try a little harder to find the one you already own first?" Mom's frown deepened as her eyes scanned her daughter's outfit. Matching ladies pullover and windbreakers with sweats and her swimsuit underneath. The girl's shoulders tensed. Obviously she'd messed some part of that up.

"Don't stand with your legs apart, Paige." Mom shook her head sadly. "You look like a damned lesbian."

* * *

Her locker shut with a clatter, and Paige passed her books to her left hand. She turned to make her way through the crowd of students. A tall, pimpled boy eyed her, and she shot him her 'in your dreams' sneer. He dropped his gaze and shuffled quickly out of sight.

She bumped past the frumpy girl who always hid her eyes behind her hair, and Lisa fell into step beside her. Tall, dark, and acne-ed might have a shot with her bookish friend. Maybe next time she wouldn't sneer quite so hard.

"Did you read the chapter?" Lisa breathed.

"And waste a Bishop-free night? Hell no. Why should I learn the Magna Carta? It has nothing to do with today."

"Oh, it does, though! People still fight about whether to have one great central leader or to spread decisions among a lot of minor leaders."

"Sounds like something a lot of minor people would like."

They wove through traffic by the office to turn towards their government classroom. Lisa went on with the eerie enthusiasm of someone who liked schoolwork. "Especially when the 'great leader' leaves most people unhappy. Remember the riots in Tunisia last week?"

"Where?"

"They filmed Star Wars there."

"If you go into nerd-mode, I'm sitting on the other side of the room."

Paige tensed as she spotted 'Magnificent' Mona And Posse lurking at the end of the hall. A smug grin shining from that round face was never good news. The redhead scoured her brain for something clever to say but fantasies of just slapping a ball into Mona's shin on the hockey pitch pushed her wits well off to the sidelines.

"Hey, Jay." Mona's eyes sparkled. "_Loved_ your show last night." She passed in a cloud of tittering haute couture. Paige pinched her lips and stared daggers into the girls' backs. _Jay Leno—the Great Italian Chin._ So maybe her jaw was a bit strong. She was still ten-ways hotter than that chipmunk and her faceless attachés. Her ridiculously popular faceless attachés...

Paige glanced at Lisa. The little blonde couldn't hide her relief behind sympathetic eyes. It hadn't been her on the end of the skewer this time. "They're idiots," Lisa said.

Paige lifted her books to cradle against her chest and started towards class again. "No one else thinks so."

"Oh, they think it. They're just too scared to act on it."

The sway of silk black hair against a brown shoulder pinned Paige in her tracks as Mona's gaggle flew out of frame down a side hall. Was that her teammate from this morning reading the office bulletin board? "We're like the people of Tunisia," Lisa droned on, "toiling in a desert of wants, thirsting for an oasis, while the rich feast in their palace and—"

Paige's legs shot towards the office before she realized she'd told them to move. Must've been instinct saving her from all that 'life is like a box of fair-trade chocolates' drivel. The tall brunette looked like—what was her name? "Emily?"

The girl turned. Coffee-brown eyes landed on the redhead, and a gentle smile greeted her. "Hi."

"Hi." Paige smiled, suddenly feeling light on her feet, and swung her books down to hold casually at her side. She took a deep breath. "Thank you for this morning. I can give your cap back anytime."

"No, you can have it. I was double-capping to keep my hair dry—well, dri_er—_but it wasn't really working." Emily's voice was as warm as her eyes.

Paige combed her fingers through her own short, red locks. Somehow 'double-capping' sounded dirty from Emily's lips. "Yeah, the chlorine can be hell. Especially on color. Your hair still looks perfect, though. What's your secret?"

The brunette tilted her head coyly. "Mmm, no secrets there." Emily shot a glance at the PA as the one-minute bell rang, then gave the shorter girl a final, tight-lipped smile. "See you at practice."

"Right." Paige nodded and watched her leave. "You'll see my wake in the lane beside you."

Emily laughed. "Only if you're a lap behind," she tossed over her shoulder.

.

The redhead plopped her books down as the final bell rang, and she took her seat. Lisa stared at her as the sound of a dozen clapping books and ruffling pages filled the silence after the bell. "What?" Paige murmured when the staring became borderline creepy.

"'What?' yourself."

"She loaned me a swim cap this morning."

Lisa smirked and leaned into the aisle. "Did it fit on your head?"

"_Yes._ My head is perfectly in size with my talent."

Mr. Choi stood at the front of class and picked up a blue whiteboard marker. Paige wondered idly if he left rainbow fingerprints in his books after his daily color-coded scribbles.

"She's gay, you know," Lisa whispered.

No. "Of course." Why would Emily be gay? She was gorgeous. She could have any hottie she wanted.

"I saw her kissing that new girl in jazz band." Literally _any_ hottie she wanted, then.

Paige opened her notebook and leaned over the blank page. "Stop grossing me out, Lise. I'm trying to learn."


	2. Chapter 2

**Heart of Coal**

Part 2, 2/11/11 (Post Ep. 16)

by _The Last Moccasin_

T / PG-13 || Teen Drama, Angst, A/U, Femslash

___Swimming star Paige McCullers stops at nothing to take her place in the sun from 'Princess' Emily Fields. But is life better when she beats her rival or when she joins her?_

**Pretty Little Liars** is copyright Alloy Entertainment. I am but a lowly, meddling fan.

* * *

_Weeks later..._

Her fingers folded against the wall in her final, burning kick. Paige surged up at the edge of the pool and caught her hand on the deck. Cool air flooded her lungs. She turned to the scoreboard, tense for a heartbeat until the top time appeared. Lane...'4'.

A grin split her face. "_Yes!"_ She tore her goggles off and raised them in a victory fist. Two races. Two _wins_.

"Good swim," a tired voice puffed from the next lane. Paige looked back as Emily draped her long arms over the floating orange divider and caught her breath.

"Thanks. You'll get your six in the butterfly, Fields."

Emily nodded, and the redhead ducked into her lane and through. She bobbed past the dividers, swimming to the ladder. Smiling teammates pulled her up into a towel and a chorus of 'yeah' 'good job'.

Paige blinked stinging drops from her eyes, dried her face in the towel, and scanned the crowd for her mom. Her teammates faded to the periphery as a reflexive twist in her gut whispered Mom wouldn't be there.

But she was. Sitting halfway up the stands, Lynn McCullers pointed at her daughter and said something to a father sitting next to her, her chin tipped up. Paige sighed as her stomach uncoiled, and she fought a silly impulse to run.

She walked to the stands. Mom came down to meet her, purse in hand.

"I won!"

"I saw. All those early morning workouts are paying off!" Mom beamed. Without thinking, Paige stepped in for a hug. "Oh! You're dripping wet, Paige."

The girl dropped her arms and hopped back. "Sorry." She looked down. At Mom's jacket draped over her arm. "You're leaving?" How she hated the note of pained surprise in her own voice.

"These meets are so long, and your races are done. I have some paperwork—"

"But I'm the last relay anchor."

"Well. Maybe I'll come back for that one."

_...sure. And I'll ace AP calculus._

"I'm sure you'll be amazing," Mom perked up. "Your teammates looked _very_ impressed. Keep winning and leading the way, and they're bound to choose you as captain. Wouldn't that be something? You _should_ be team captain."

"I'm trying. Everyone likes Emily, though."

"Well, everyone will like you more. You just need to win them over." Mom squeezed her shoulder through the towel. "See you at home. Here." Mom unclipped her purse and pulled out a high-protein PowerBar.

"Thanks." Paige held the food limply in one hand and pulled her towel tight with the other. Her muscles had cooled, and she shivered. Mom slid into her black, Donna Karan jacket and headed for the doors.

.

They were losing. To South Wallenberg. Impossible but true.

The aquatorium buzzed with voices echoing off the water. A two point difference turned the dual meet into an episode of Family Feud. After ten races, the final face off would be the only one that mattered. Shaking her arms to loosen them up, Paige looked her relay-mates in the eyes. Four blue eyes looked back, and the redhead scowled. They had one last race and one last shot, and Fields was AWOL.

Paige scanned the pool deck. _Where is she when we need her?_

In the luck of her first glance, she spotted Emily's familiar silhouette near the locker rooms, a tall figure slumped in blue warm-ups beside Mrs. Fields. The older woman talked with a gentle gaze for the girl who swayed like a tree after a storm. Mrs. Fields reached out to wrap her arms around her daughter, but Emily stiffened and twisted free with a sharp spike of energy. She said something to her mother, yelled it, and they blazed into an argument.

The redhead tore her eyes back to Molly and Seana. Bolts of adrenaline and something she couldn't quite pin down sparked in her chest. _Damn princess Fields._

"Hands up who won a race tonight," Paige said. All three girls raised a hand. "Hands up who's gonna win _this_ race tonight." The hands stayed up, though Molly's dipped for a second, and slowly their shoulders pulled back into a reflection of Paige's confidence.

She pulled her phone from her warm-up pants pocket and hit play. _Dum dum._ The Jaws theme. _Dum dum._ "There's Tiger blood in the water, girls...It's feeding time!"

"Go Sharks!" Seana cheered over the dramatic blaze of horns.

"_Go Sharks!"_

.

Paige dove with a powerful burst from the starting block. The crashing static of the pool swallowing her muted the roar of swimmers, coaches, and parents to almost peaceful underwater churns and moans.

She rose from her dolphin kicks, back to the screaming air, and settled into a fervent stroke. The redhead was a full length behind and couldn't leave too much of it for the final sprint. The first embers of a fire started in her lungs as each breath sucked in not quite enough air. Never quite enough air, but her body felt good. So fast she was skimming atop the water.

Emily had lead off the race and fought to stay in a close second before the girls between them slipped back. The brunette hadn't said a word before the race. Just walked straight to the blocks and coiled like a long-legged spring. Whatever was ruining her night was apparently no one's business but her own. Hers and her mom's.

Paige rolled and kicked violently off the halfway wall. The turn was seamless. So perfect it shocked herself. Brushing past the minor success, she carved through the still blue plane and closed on Wallenbergs' best freestyler. Her heart lurched with the sudden thought that if she lost, she was glad Mom had left early. The only thing worse than losing was losing in front of her mother. Lynn McCullers favored a steady diet of victory.

Wallenberg's girl wasn't flagging, but Paige still felt strong. It was early for her to sprint. Too early. But the searing energy in her veins was undeniable. Trusting instinct, she kicked. Hard. Striving for the wall. Reaching arm after arm. She might not have adoring friends cheering in the stands or a wardrobe overflowing from Neiman Marcus. She had no hot boyfriend to impress and silence her mother; no uncanny brilliance to make school a cakewalk. But she had this. She would have this. Paige pulled within inches in her last dozen strokes. She'd win this for everyone. Even the moody princess Fields might smile for a moment.

Her lungs felt like pits of lava. She shot into the touch wall and rose to hook a shaking arm over the bright lane divider. Too dizzy to check her time until the spots disappeared, the redhead only noticed a blast of whoops and cheers all around.

"You did it!"

"What?" she panted, looking up.

A pair of beautiful, coffee-brown eyes sparkled at her from the deck. "You _won!_"

.

Expecting a towel or pat on the back, Paige melted into Coach's arms as they pulled her in for a surprise 'shark' hug when she climbed to the deck. Her tracksuit must've gotten soaked, but the exultant woman didn't seem to care.

"You'll make it to State with times like that, McCullers! Way to reach into the tank and find that extra kick. Scared me when you did it though." Laughter bubbled through Coach Winfrey, and she let Paige go to be engulfed by euphoric teammates.

.

Her legs hummed with exhaustion as she left the school to catch a ride home from Coach Winfrey. Her whole body felt tapped out, and Paige doubted she'd stay awake even for the ten minute ride across town.

In the parking lot, her head turned to the flashing light and black of a lithe silhouette walking alone. "Hey, _Fields_," she called.

Emily stopped and looked back. "Yeah?"

Paige jogged to her through the long, cold shadows. "Next time take your anger out in the water, not beside it."

The brunette frowned. In her tired daze, Paige let her eyes wander the taller girl's moonlit features. "Who says I'm angry."

The redhead cocked an eyebrow and shot a glance at Mrs. Fields standing by her car with her arms folded. Emily's face darkened. "It's nothing."

Paige pinched her lips and nodded. It cut more sharply than expected for Emily to hit her with the same closed door that kept her waiting in the acquaintance lobbies of most every kid in Rosewood. "Right. I know all about that kind of nothing."

The brunette shook her head as a cloud of sadness swept over her eyes. For a heartbeat, she wanted to confide in her. The wish flickered in her eyes before vanishing behind a cloak of...fear? "No." Emily looked away into the night. "I don't think you do."


	3. Chapter 3

**Heart of Coal**

Part 3, 2/19/11 (Post Ep. 17)

by _The Last Moccasin_

T / PG-13 || Teen Drama, Angst, A/U, Femslash

_Swimming star Paige McCullers stops at nothing to take her place in the sun from 'Princess' Emily Fields. But is life better when she beats her rival or when she joins her?_

**Pretty Little Liars** is copyright Alloy Entertainment. I am but a lowly, meddling fan.

I'm going to continue with the non-canon family I created for Paige in this story. Retrofitting would gut my outline. Thus, the fic is graduating from Parallel/U to A/U.

I plan to build things more slowly than the show. Although I don't like waiting (at all), I think it will turn out well in the end as far as slow-burn love stories go. I promise every scene has a purpose.

* * *

Cinnamon and coffee smells filled the small kitchen. Sausages hissed in a pan, and Mom bustled between the stove and counter, sometimes popping into the fridge to make Paige her traditional 'victory' breakfast. These were her best mornings. A day off from early practice, and Mom making all her favorites to reward a win.

A plate of hot, crisp waffles clicked on the table in front of her as Mom finished her ritual. Scrambled eggs and sizzling sausage links piled next to the gold medallions. Paige picked up a half-empty bottle of syrup and drizzled it across the regimented bars and cells, then over the eggs and sausage. Sugar was a rare privilege. She'd take as much as she could before the bottle was buried in the back of the top cupboard shelf again.

Mom hugged her from the side in a tight squeeze and kissed her hair. "The breakfast of a champion."

Paige dipped her head in a smile, then sat up as a deep breath pushed her shoulders up and back. "Coach says I'll make state this year with times like last night."

"Well." Mom sat in her place and glanced at Bishop who was gloomily spinning the waffle on his plate. "It wasn't the school record, though,was it?"

Paige swallowed a thick bite of eggs. "N-no." She'd thought the coach's praise would be good news, not tossed aside like the paper seal on a fresh orange juice.

"But I'm sure you'll improve as the season goes on." Mom sliced a sharp-cornered bite from her waffle. "Being pitted against that Emily Fields girl will really push you into another gear."

"I'm not really against her—"

"Bishy Fishy, what's wrong?" Mom laid a gentle hand on Bishop's arm, and he let her.

"Make me hashbrowns," he murmured. He set his fork down and deflated further into his slouch. He was usually more animated, bouncing like a superball from one emotion to another. The break up had changed that, but God, it was a month ago. Were they supposed to spend forever gluing humpty dumpty back together?

"It's my breakfast today." Paige furled her brow.

Mom's chair whined against the floor as she stood up. "Of course, honey."

"Mom!" The teen half expected her mom to snatch the syrup in passing, whip the cupboard open, and shove it into the abyss until the next time the swimmer earned it.

Mom opened the freezer and reached in for the potatoes. "Have some feeling, Paige. Can't you see he's heartbroken?"

"He's been moping for weeks. The only thing broken is his ability to get over her."

Bishop exploded like a thunderclap. "How would _you_ know? You girls are all the same! You _don't care!_ You just use us to make yourselves feel good and then dump us when you get bored. Like you and Kurt. I _liked_ Kurt."

Paige's auto-defenses kicked in before she could stop it. "Maybe _you_ should date him then."

"None of that, Paige," Mom warned darkly. The gas burner barked into flame as she put the frying pan back on.

"I didn't dump Kurt because I was bored," Paige softened. "He was nice; he just wasn't... I don't know. He just _wasn't_. You two could still play Xbox. I'll give you his number." She reached for her phone.

Bishop laughed coldly. "He 'just wasn't.' That's even better than what Jenny said to me. ###ing stupid girls. I'm just gonna be an asshole since that's what it takes."

"_Bishop_. Language." Mom cast a glare at him over her shoulder.

"That won't take much effort," Paige muttered.

"I learned from a champion," he shot back.

The phone rang. The home phone rang at 7:30 AM. A line that slept like the dead until Octobers of even years and then could scarcely lay in its cradle an hour before crying to be held again. Mom picked it up.

"Hello?" She wielded her spatula in her free hand. "She can't be his emergency contact; she's seventeen. … Listen, I'm her mother, and I have full custody for a reason. If she's going to hear something, she'll hear it from me. Understand?"

Paige dropped her hands to her lap. An 'emergency' for her father? She looked at Bishop for strength, and for once, his eyes were wide with concern, their argument forgotten. Bishop's father was a brilliant engineer. A handsome innovator who adopted her before the divorce. Paige's 'real' father, Mr. One-Night Mistake...excuses were his stock in trade. She'd stopped asking for them when her nine-year-old brain finally put together that his actions, and his breath, told much different stories than his flowery words.

"Did he hurt anyone? … That's fitting. I want you to put a note in his file not to call my daughter again. She's a minor, okay?" Mom flipped the hash browns, splashing drops of oil across the stove. "Okay, thank you." She hung up with a loud clack. Paige held her breath.

Mom turned to her and sighed. "You're idiot father wrecked his car after leaving a bar last night. He's okay. Cuts and bruises. They're about to release him to the police for his DUI."

Paige took a cool gulp of air and knew from experience not to ask to know more. A burning shadow lingered in her lungs, wrapping itself around her ribs. Everyone agreed Jack Carlson didn't deserve to see his daughter. Everyone but that shadow. It crouched behind her heart, peering out at the sound of his voice. Waiting for the day he would suddenly, miraculously be the man he ought to. Not a drunk dozing in front of his TV.

Mom wrapped an arm around Bishop and pulled his head to her chest. "Stay good, Bishy. Assholes don't get the girl in the end. Not any girl who respects herself."

He caught Paige's eyes and silently apologized. The redhead leaned back and shoveled a spoonful of cold eggs past her lips.

* * *

She handed Lisa the gray-and-blue, stuffed shark as the blonde sat down at her Government desk. "What do you think?" Paige whispered.

Lisa adjusted her glasses and dropped a deeply serious gaze on the palm-sized mascot. "Cute." She smiled. "Can I keep it?"

Paige hesitated. At that price, she'd only bought enough mini sharks to give one to each teammate. And one to keep.

"Yeah. I got extras."

"In case someone new joined the team?" Lisa wobbled the big-eyed toy by the tail, swimming it through the air.

Mr. Choi had mumbled something at the beginning of class and was walking around passing out papers. Graded exams, guessing by the constipated looks on everyone's faces.

Paige opened her book and pretended to look at it. "Who wouldn't join for a free shark-omon? I could use your vote, Lise. You look like a fifty-meter freestyler who wants an inspirational team captain."

"Free spirit, yes. Freestyle, I leave to you and your fellow physically-coordinated persons." Lisa set her pocket shark down and flipped over her test as Mr. Choi dropped it on her desk and shuffled to the next aisle. She grinned with a flash of surprise at her paper before laying it down again. "So...you didn't like the name bracelets idea? I think making something like that personal goes a long way. When the girls look at this little guy they'll remember everyone has one just like it."

"If I got name bracelets, I'd have to know everyone's name." Paige shifted in her seat. The 'campaign gifts' were meant to be nice without being too nice. Something to stir waves of team spirit in the heart of every Rosewood swimmer. Something to help them win.

"We could find out and stitch them into the sides. I have some white thread at home."

Paige curled her nose. "That's way obsessive and would take a hundred million years. They should just vote for me because I'm the best."

Lisa chuckled. "Do you always have to be on top?"

"Where else is there?"

Mr. Choi slapped a test down on top of her book. The redhead's nerves spiked, and she turned her exam over to read...'D'. She scowled at the red fraction, and her heart hammered like a heavy drum. True she hadn't felt good about the test, but... _Shit._ She flipped through to the last page. She'd skated through mostly unscathed until blowing the essay. 'Why did England reject absolute monarchy?' She glared helplessly at the page scarred with red, pleating its sides in the crooks of her fingers.

* * *

It was warm for February. Paige curled her hands deeper into her pockets and watched the sparse traffic criss-crossing the courtyard. She was late for study hall and didn't care. It was too nice to be cooped up with sonnets and equations today.

The cold brick wall beneath her had numbed her behind after long minutes sitting in the sun, dangling her legs like loose hinges. A pair of tennis shoes scratched to a halt beside her, and she looked over at Coach Winfrey's cheerful brown face. "Nice day."

"Mmm."

Coach perched beside her on the wall, and Paige wondered if she was in trouble for skipping. "You've been distracted the past few days. Is there something you need to talk about? You might not guess from all the chatter at practice, but I'm a good listener, too."

"I'm fine."

The older woman nodded slowly and turned her gaze to the now empty yard. And waited.

"My dad..." Paige pinched her lips. "I haven't seen him for months. I shouldn't care, but... He got hurt somehow, and Mom won't tell me everything. She just says, 'He's fine now.' I'll get yelled at if I try to find out more."

Coach wrapped an arm behind the girl's shoulders and rubbed her arm to warm her. Paige blinked against a sudden sting. Like a rogue pool drop had slipped from her hair into her eyes after taking her goggles off. "I almost flunked my Government test. Mom will kill me if she sees it. I still meet the academic requirements to swim."

"That's good." Coach squeezed her across the shoulders. "I'd hate to lose you. I need all my sharks ready to shoot their lasers when we drop Mr. Austin Powers in the pool, but family and school come first."

Paige leaned against the older woman's warmth as the hands of a cool breeze brushed her cheeks and swept their fingers through her hair. "Is the vote tomorrow?"

"Hmm?"

"The vote for captain?"

"Not for a couple days." Coach gave her a longer squeeze, a one-armed side hug, and said, "Kiddo, you know the monthly vote is usually just a formality. The same girl is usually captain all year."

"I still want to try."

The older woman's deep chuckle vibrated against Paige's arm through their coats. "Well, as an _aspiring leader,_ have you noticed any of the other girls having problems? Is there anyone I should talk to?"

"No," she answered reflexively. Then inhaled sharply when she remembered, "Emily. I saw her argue with her mom. She wouldn't tell me what was wrong." Paige bounced a heel off the bricks beneath her. "She's been...distant. Like a light that burned out. Not...she doesn't laugh as easy as she used to, you know?"

Coach Winfrey nodded to herself before tipping her head to the young swimmer. "You know I'm here whenever you need me, right?"

Paige smiled. "Yeah."

"Good." The older woman patted her shoulder and dropped her arm back to her side. She pulled a square of paper from her coat pocket, clicked her pen, and started scribbling. "I'll write you a pass for study hall."


	4. Chapter 4

**Heart of Coal**

Part 4, 2/20/11 (Post Ep. 17)

by _The Last Moccasin_

T / PG-13 || Teen Drama, Angst, A/U, Femslash

_Swimming star Paige McCullers stops at nothing to take her place in the sun from 'Princess' Emily Fields. But is life better when she beats her rival or when she joins her?_

**Pretty Little Liars** is copyright Alloy Entertainment. I am but a lowly, meddling fan.

I was going to put this scene in the next update, but I realized I should really have put it in the last one. So here it is late/early.

(Added 2/27/2011) After this, it's a long road before the girls come together. The next update will travel that road and arrive at the start of the Paily romance that fills the second half of the story. It'll be a large update and take a while to complete. I just don't want to update again until I get to more of the 'good stuff'.

* * *

"_True Grit_?" Ben asked, closing his locker with a careful 'snick' of the latch.

"If you want to see it," Paige said. "I'm pretty busy until Saturday, though."

The Junior class heartthrob gave her a tight-lipped smile. "No thanks. I've gotta go."

"Sure," she said to his back as he strolled away. "Some other time."

Paige sighed and leaned against the row of blue lockers. Not many high school boys were confident enough to approach her, and the nagging at home was getting too annoying to ignore. Ben was handsome and single. Why turn down a Western? She brushed a wrinkle out of her skirt. At least this way she didn't have to sit through it.

Lunch was almost over, and the student traffic was thickening. No one seemed to notice her in the hallway. Maybe no one overheard.

"That's probably not someone you want to be alone in the dark with," a gentle voice behind her said.

Paige spun around in the shadow of Emily Fields. For a second she could only stare at the raven-haired swimmer. The girl really had no right walking around surprising people when she was that stunning. "Hi," Paige finally quipped.

"Hi," Emily replied smoothly. "Ben Stintson?"

The redhead took a calming breath and grinned. "What can I say? Dark hair and eyes make me forget my own name." She rubbed the back of her neck. "But he's not interested, so..." She shrugged. She felt more embarrassed than hurt.

"At least now you can watch _Harry Potter_ like you actually want to." Emily's eyes flashed with mirth, and Paige held back the girlish laughter suddenly bubbling in her chest. Was her boredom for dirty shoot-em-ups that obvious? She had seen _Harry Potter_, but...

"Is that still on anywhere?"

"Yeah, the dollar matinee on 8th."

The redhead nodded and looked down as they both paused. Somehow Emily's skinny jeans made her legs look longer than they did in her swimsuit. The brunette shifted her feet. Her pink Converse's were cute, too.

"Do you have Mr. Choi for Government?" Paige asked suddenly.

"Yeah, why?"

"I just thought, I've been looking for someone to study with. Someone smart and...not that I'm not smart. Do you want to?" She kicked herself inside for her verbal stumbles. Who would say yes to a mumbling, bumbling—

"Sure. When?"

"Whenever."

Emily grinned like she'd caught Paige stealing a muffin from the teacher's lounge. "I though you were 'pretty busy'."

"With swimming, like you. That's just something a girl says."

"Right." The brunette fished in her purse and drew her phone. "What's your number?"

"Here." Paige took it from her and entered her number. She scrolled through the Contact options. "Do you have Jay-Z's 'Empire'?"

"No, why?"

The redhead looked up at her with exaggerated doe eyes. "It has to play the right song."

Emily rolled her eyes in amusement. "I'll download it."

Paige called herself before handing the other phone back. With her own cell poised in her hand, she looked expectantly into mahogany eyes that clouded with confusion as the seconds passed. "I guess I could make you 'Squidward' since you don't have a preference." She touched play.

"_Too bad SpongeBob isn't here to enjoy SpongeBob not being here."_

"No, ha. Um..." Emily brought her hand to her lips, searching her memory. Paige played a cartoon sound FX version of 'Shave And A Haircut.' The brunette shot her an amused warning glance, and Paige kept her innocent 'Who, me?' mask on.

After another pause, she played SNL's Mary Katherine Gallagher knocking over a row of folding chairs. Emily bit her lip not to laugh. The redhead stared at her with fake seriousness and played the chairs again. And again, and Ems started to crack. "It's this one, isn't it? I'll save it."

The taller girl pushed her lightly on the arm. "No! Just stop so I can think." Paige smirked, and after a second Emily threw her hands up. "Beyoncé."

"Which one?"

"Surprise me."

Paige nodded. The brunette peered over her shoulder her as she scrolled through her songlist for something pretty or witty or both. An odd, humming feeling filled the redhead's lungs.

"Trying to move up in the world, McCullers?" Mona slithered out of the sparse hallway traffic and fluttered her plump eyelashes. She cast her gaze back and forth between the swimmers as they shifted apart and stiffened. "I admire your ambition, however tragic it may be."

Paige slipped her phone into her purse and cocked a baleful eyebrow at the beauty queen. "Can I help you, Mona?"

"No. But I can help you. See, _I_ think you have potential. Meet me after school for a makeover at 'Salon' Mona. We'll see if there's a swan hiding behind that unflattering mop on your face."

Emily set her shoulders and took a step half in front of Paige. "We have swimming practice, Mona. You'll have to find someone else for your _Jersey Shore_ seminar."

Mona laughed musically. "Oh, Emily. Always the _white knight_. I bet that makes your lady friend swoon. Oh that's right. She hasn't spoken to you for a month. Hanging on through that really puts the 'special' in special someone, doesn't it?"

The tall girl slowly folded as the words stabbed home. Mona slid her gaze triumphantly to the target she was shielding. "Careful with this one, Paige. She might get you sent back to the factory for repairs, too."

Paige glared silently. She hooked her hand into Emily's arm and pulled the taller girl behind her, then jabbed a finger at the popular snob. "The only thing broken here is your ability to fly back to your castle when you're not wanted. But you'll find a handy broom in the janitor's closet behind you. You'll probably have your own key in a couple years."

Mona sniffed with royal disdain. "You see? Potential. I can't help you if you won't help yourself, McCullers. Think about it; because this is your only chance." Stepping away, she blew the redhead a kiss. "Tootles." Mona cut a cold smirk at Emily and flounced into the river of passing students.

Paige huffed and looked at her friend. Her back was stiff, arms tucked in tight. White knuckles gripped her purse strap. "I almost said the only thing broken was going to be her new nose if she didn't get it out of our business."

Emily sighed with a weak grin and her shoulders loosened. "That might have been excessive."

The redhead shrugged, imagining a cackling Mona in a spectacular broom crash with a 747. A puff of straw bursting from the back of an engine...

"And gotten you suspended."

Paige cast a glare over her shoulder, but Mona had disappeared. "I wish I had P.E. with her."

The brunette laughed. Paige turned back, most of her anger disarmed by that sound. Twin smiles bloomed on their faces.

An easy silence swelled between them. Emily's eyes flickered with a sudden enigmatic thought. She tipped her head to the side, pursed her lips, and studied the shorter girl. The lone butterfly circling Paige's chest was flocked by a dozen more when a caramel hand reached up and cupped under her bangs, lifting them to expose her forehead. A bright smile lit the taller girl's face. The heat from her hand seemed to seep through Paige's skin and blaze in her mind.

"She's a little right," Emily mused, "I can see your face much better now."

Their eyes locked for a heartbeat. A brushfire stirred in Paige's cheeks.

Then a nail of anonymous fear struck her. She flinched. Suddenly she had to get away. Find somewhere she could breathe. Somewhere safe and alone. "I'm going to be late."

Emily's empty hand flew back to her purse strap. "Right. Sorry."

"Me too."

"For what?"

"I don't know... Fergie's singing at halftime?"

Emily laughed. "Well, don't let it happen again. See you later."

"Yeah." Paige nodded, self-conscious as her bangs tickled her eyebrows. "I'll text you."

"Call so I can hear your song."


End file.
